Rust scores in overtime, Crosby has 4 points in Penguins’ 5-4 win over Predators

By The Associated Press on December 19, 2024.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, center, celebrates his goal with teammates during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Penguins won 5-4 in overtime. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Bryan Rust scored his second goal of the game 1:07 into overtime and Sidney Crosby had a season-high four points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 on Thursday night.

Rust also had two assists and Crosby finished with a goal and three assists. Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who have won three of four. Tristan Jarry made 22 saves.

Crosby, the Pitsburgh captain, snapped a 10-game goal drought.

Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Luke Evangelista and Brady Skjei scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros stopped 15 shots, and Filip Forsberg had two assists.

In overtime, Rust took a pass from Evgeni Malkin in the slot and snapped a wrist shot past Saros. The Penguins trailed most of the night and never held the lead until Rust ended the game.

Pittsburgh has gone to OT in three consecutive games, going 2-0-1.

The Predators are 1-7 in games that went to overtime this season.

LIGHTNING 3, BLUES 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Nikita Kucherov had a pair of assists to lead Tampa Bay to a victory against St. Louis.

Anthony Cirelli, Gage Goncalves and Nick Perbix scored for the Lightning, who have won six of their last seven. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 31 saves in the win.

Pavel Buchnevich scored for St. Louis. Jordan Binnington allowed three goals on 11 shots before being replaced by Joel Hofer, who stopped all seven shots he faced.

Cirelli scored his 13th of the season 5:14 into the first period before Perbix made it 2-0 3:42 into the second period. Buchnevich cut the deficit in half at with 7:45 left in the second, but Goncalves responded with his first career goal just over a minute later.

BLUE JACKETS 4, DEVILS 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Sean Monahan had two goals and an assist, Elvis Merzlikins stopped a season-high 40 shots and Columbus snapped a five-game skid with a victory over New Jersey.

Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski also scored for Columbus, which has won only two of its last 10 games. Kirill Marchenko contributed two assists for his 100th NHL point, extending his point streak to four games. Monahan’s first goal made it 3-0 in the second period and his second was an empty-netter with 1:10 left in the game.

Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist, Timo Meier scored and Jake Allen stopped 16 shots for New Jersey, which had won three straight.

KINGS 7, FLYERS 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala scored two goals each and Los Angeles rallied to beat Philadelphia.

Kopitar scored the tying goal in the final minute of the second period and then re-directed a pass from Alex Turcotte for an insurance goal in the third period. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves.

Kopitar now has at least one point in 19 of his last 24 games, but it was his first multi-goal game since scoring a hat trick on the opening night of the season.

Warren Foegele tipped Jordan Spence’s shot past Philadelphia goalie Aleksei Kolosov for the winner 1:54 into the third period.

Fiala scored the first and last goals of the game, while Tanner Jeannot and Quinton Byfield also scored for the Kings, who won for the eighth time in their last 11 games.

Tyson Foerster scored a pair of goals and Noah Cates had one for Philadelphia, which lost its third straight. Kolosov finished with 20 saves.

BLACKHAWS 3, KRAKEN 1

CHICAGO (AP) – Ilya Mikheyev scored two more goals, Arvid Soderblom made 27 saves and Chicago beat Seattle for their third straight win.

Teuvo Teravainen had two assists as Chicago closed out a perfect three-game homestand. Nolan Allan added his first career goal in the third period.

It’s the first three-game win streak for the Blackhawks since they won five in a row in February 2023.

Seattle lost for the fourth time in five games and has managed just two goals during a three-game losing streak.

OILERS 3, BRUINS 2, OT

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – Connor McDavid scored the tying goal with 2:21 remaining in regulation and Mattias Ekholm got the overtime winner as Edmonton shook off a shoddy start for a victory against Boston.

Just 1:04 into the extra period, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made the initial save on Leon Draisaitl but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was there to grab the rebound and drop it back to Ekholm, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

Draisaitl had three assists to give him 900 career points.

Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist for the Oilers (19-11-2), who have won nine of 11.

Elias Lindholm and Mark Kastelic scored in the first period to give Boston (17-13-4) a 2-0 lead.

Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Oilers. Swayman stopped 23 shots.

SENATORS 3, FLAMES 2, OT

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Brady Tkachuk scored 55 seconds into overtime and Ottawa extended their win streak to five games with a victory against Calgary.

After Calgary failed to convert a two-on-one at one end, goaltender Linus Ullmark fired the loose puck up to Tim Stutzle to start a two-on-one break for Ottawa. Dan Vladar stopped the initial shot, but Tkachuk knocked in the rebound.

Nick Cousins also scored and Ridly Greig, with his first goal in 20 games, had a short-handed goal for Ottawa. The Senators are two games into a stretch of nine consecutive road games.

Blake Coleman and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Calgary.

Ullmark made 29 saves to extend his personal winning streak to seven games. Vladar stopped 26 shots.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, CANUCKS 1

LAS VEGAS (AP) – William Karlsson broke a tie early in the third period and Vegas went on to beat Vancouver.

Karlsson scored his sixth goal of the season when he skated in along the goal line, banked a shot off Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen’s stick blade, grabbed the rebound in the crease and fired it on the opposite side of the goal.

Alex Pietrangelo scored his third goal of the season, Brett Howden notched his 12th into an empty net with 51 seconds left and Adin Hill stopped 19 shots to improve to 14-5-2 this season.

Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks and Lankinen made 19 saves.

The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights have won six of their last seven games.